Hearts

Today I am joining Art @ Home's 14 days of love celebration.

I just love HEARTS. All manner of shapes, uses or colors. I have just always had a fondness for hearts.

Right now they are scattered all over our house of course in celebration of the day of love.

I checked in my cupboard and I have eight heart shaped bowls. This is the tiniest. I also have a heart shaped cake pan used every year on Valentines for some sort of cake of course.

We hang them outdoors...

And near our doors.

Q was having lunch and said she had found a heart shaped chip. She sure did.

And yes she was still in her jammies for lunch. With hearts on them wouldn't you know.

Linking to:
Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow Us Wed.

Mother Nature Party

I so wanted to take part in the Grits and Glamour Wild About Mother Nature Party so I reprised one of my all time favorite nature inspired posts.

Changed up my dining table display to a collection of warm yellows and all things bees. Our yard here is abuzz with all our citrus in bloom.

I found this sweet little pillow on a clearance rack at a favorite haunt.

You can't have bees without a bee skep.

A sweet little watering can holds golden flowers.

I love the battery operated flicker candles available now. Safe to burn when you have a little one in the house and they last forever.

Linking to:

Grits and Glamour

Coastal Charm

Tabletop Tuesday

BNOTP

Monday Already

The weekend is gone way too quickly. Just the usual busyness of life. Trying to finish up my daughter's room.
Her dad hung a shelf we took from another room and I hung the little chalkboards I made last year for a splash of color.
We are making up a little desk in a little cupboard. It will be perfect but we have to get it all put up this week.

My house looks like this except there isn't a man laying across the floor. I need to get off this thing and get on the house.

Just making my lists for the week and getting some coffee in my veins. Okay I need to get to it. See you!!

Happiness

Cleaning, raking, trimming. It is that time for me. We do all our own yard work and well mostly I do so this time of year I start at one end of our backyard and just trim and clean the planters as I go.

This kitty is Mr. Bee-Doos. Yep that is his name. My silly daughter and equally silly husband came up with that. We are used to it now but at the vet they know him as Nemo as I was a little embarrassed of this name. Poor cat he is probably always wondering why they are all calling him that.

Yeppers more sunshine. We have had the most spring/summer like winter. It is supposed to rain next week so I am very glad. Our mountains and hills are thirsty.

This one is happy for the days outside. We are out about two hours everyday and have our lunch on the patio. It wears her out. That is good for mommy.

Heard this on the radio.

"It is your moral obligation to act happy. Happier people make better spouses, parents, friends, employees."

Do you agree? You know what at this stage in my life I do. I am always telling my kids that sometimes you just have to fake it. That is fake happiness. It helps snap you out of a mood. In my younger years if I wanted to go around grumpy, I did. If I took the whole house down with me so be it. Selfish. That is what I was. I once heard that a mother's attitude sets the tone for the whole family. I agree. We all have times when it is appropriate to be sad or mad but I am talking about in our daily everyday living. I hung that quote on the fridge. I want my kids to see it, learn, do it. I want them to realize that happiness is a choice. I want them to learn it young. Of course they will do as they choose but it won't be for a lack of me trying. So I choose happiness. I was so happy today after our no spend Jan. to go to Sam's Club and just really stock up. Just food and needfuls but wow that is such a gift to be able to do that. Some months I don't go if I don't have the extra stock up money so I just felt so lucky to be able to fill my cart. Okay, have a blessed Sunday. Thanks for listening.

Linking to:
Seasonal Sundays
The House in the Roses
BNOTP
Masterpiece Monday
A Return to Loveliness
A Stroll Thru Life
Time Warp Wife
Bowl Full of Lemons
Home and Garden Thursday

Juice!!

We have been keeping a bucket of oranges in the service porch for juicing. I figure this saves me about $3 a week right now to make our own O.J. everyday.

They are just like little suns all over the cutting board.

This is Q's first time and boy she took her job seriously.

Don't tell her sisters but she tasted a few.

Happy Weekend!! Watcha' all doing for Superbowl? We are just staying in and making fajitas for the fam. We made these cupcakes last year for dessert. Not sure what I will make this year.

Laundry Tips

My mom was the laundry queen. She could get anything out of clothes. She kept our clothes clean and pressed so nicely. She had no dryer and had to iron weekly. She even ironed my dad's old work shirts.

I try to take care of our clothes in hopes they will last longer. I check for stains before they go in the washer.

Here are some tips on what I use to keep my kids and my lineman's clothes clean. Oh and me, a messy cook and gardener.

You can see in the basket above some of my arsenal. I always keep shout for common stains. Of course treat as soon as you can. I also keep a container of vinegar for the rinse cycle. It is a wonderful chemical free softener and deodorizer. 

I want to show you these pants of my hubby's. They went through the washer and dryer and while folding I noticed a ring of a grease stain on the back side. I had missed it going in. Something I use to get out old grease stains is De-Solv-It. It is an orange oil based laundry stain remover. You put a dab on and let it sit on the stains for 30 minutes. I then spray some Shout on it and scrub with an old tooth brush to make sure the De-Solv-It doesn't leave a ring. Even though this had gone through the washer and dryer already it removed all the grease stains.

I buy it at Target or Walmart. Lasts a long time. It has removed paint from Q's clothes too. Great stuff.

I have been making my own laundry soap for years and you can find the recipe here. But I also will add about a half cup of Borax in the water these days. You see we have hard water and our water softener is not working. We will replace it but it is a few items down on the list of home repairs we are working on. So I was reading up and found it helps to soften water in your laundry. This keeps whites whiter and helps to just get clothes cleaner.

I also found this great stain guide online and it tells you how to get out all manner of laundry problems.

laundry stain guide

Hope these tips are helpful. Let me know if you know of any other great tips of getting stains out. I am always working on some sort of spot on clothing in this house.

Linking to:
Weekend Whatever
Show and Tell Friday
Ladybird Ln.
Fun Stuff Fridays
BNOTP
SNS 119
Crystal and Co.

Thrifty Living Series Part 3

Okay, now onto the meat and bones as they say. This week we are all sharing how we save on gas while still getting the errands ran and in my case getting kids to and from. If you don't think gas has gone up that much here are some statistics that are going to floor you. I knew we were paying way more for gas in the last couple of years but the hard numbers almost made me cry.
The average price for a gallon of gas on 1/26/09 was $1.84
The average price for a gallon of gas on 1/23/12 was $3.39 (and in L.A. it was 3.69)
An increase of 84%.
Friends we are paying 84% more to drive than we were three years ago and the far reaching effects are that everything that is shipped with gas has skyrocketed too. So now that I am depressed and you are as well I will share how we are trying to save on gas.

On average our monthly fuel bill is $680. I know it is crazy. That is for my husband's small Ford Focus he commutes in and our other two cars. A truck and a mini van. Some months it can be lower if I am able to stay home more. This is killing us. That is not insurance and maintenance. We bought the small car used for the gas savings and it is a big help but we are three drivers and three cars. It is not prudent for us to buy new cars to replace the bigger ones as that takes lots of money and we need the truck and one large vehicle for when we all go somewhere.

So here is what we have done to help lower this where we can.
 1) Our oldest who is in college and works has now got to pay for her own fuel. She drives the truck and sees how costly it is to fill. Life lessons she needs to learn. We keep this vehicle because it is paid off and we use it to tow our trailer when we camp. She will buy her own car shortly but then daughter #2 will be driving and we will be again fueling this car. She has a job but we will help her in the beginning like we did #1.

2) We stay home. Especially me. If I can help it I don't even start my car. On weekends I use the small car for driving around as it has better mileage.

3) I combine errands. I try to see where I will be going at the beginning of the week and plan errands for days I will be in that area. Plan your errands in a circle. I start with the farthest stop and then just pop in wherever I need to go on my route back home. This is perfect for my shopping days. I don't want to waste gas while trying to save money with deals at the drugstores and such. That would defeat the purpose.

4) I am sure most of you know these tips but here are some other things we do to save on fuel consumption.
  -Keep tires properly inflated.
  -Drive slower. Accelerate slower too as this is where most fuel is used.
  -Carpool if you can. My husband is able to do this some weeks and though it takes a few extra minutes to meet up with the guys, the savings on gas and miles on your car are too good to pass up.
  -Reduce weight in your car. Don't drive around with extra stuff in your car you don't need. Takes more fuel to move a heavier car.
  -Reduce use of A/C. I am guilty of this as I don't like my windows down but I read recently that this can save on fuel. Turn A/C off five minutes before you arrive at your destination and try to park in the shade. This is new to me so I will start this immediately.
  -Watch how you brake. If the light ahead turns red let off the gas an coast since you will be stopping anyway. This helps save on brakes as well.

Now some months like while the kids were on break I was able to stretch fueling to almost two weeks but I also stayed home 11 days in January and for us that is big. School starting up does not afford me that luxury but I do it on the weekends a lot. I usually stay home on Saturdays if we don't have plans.

Please visit Brenda at Cozy Little House, Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams  and Diane of Lavender Dreams and see what the other bloggers in this series are up to.


Linking to:
Katherine's Corner
Somewhat Simple
Open House Party
Home Sweet Home
Common Ground
Show and Tell Friday
Ladybird Ln.

Word for the Year

I am a little late on a post like this I guess. I have seen others in blog land do posts on their word for the year and I think it is a great idea but I had to put some thought into what mine this year would be. Better than making resolutions but more of a theme for our lives. A direction we want to head to accomplish goals for happier and better living.

                                                          My Spice Cabinet

Well, I already pretty much have ascribed to the pursuit of "contentment."  And maybe "frugal" but that really was started a couple of years ago and is a life long word now.

After putting some real thought into where I wanted to make improvements in my life that would bring about changes that could improve the areas of my life that just plain need improving, I chose ORGANIZATION as my word for the year. I have long been on the pursuit of becoming a more organized person as I just was not born that way. I am so envious of those that it just comes naturally too. My mind just bounces from here to there and I have been trying hard to study up on how one trains oneself to become organized. I don't know that you can ever think that way but at least in my daily routines and how I run the house.

                                                  Organize Incoming Paperwork


I have come a long way and generally we can find what we are looking for but there is so much room for improvement. I want to get all our files straightened and streamlined. I want to really clean out our garage. Boxes that I cannot tell what's in them need to be gone through and only stackable bins remaining. Just a thorough going over of things. Love organized spaces and get a rush when I make that happen here. The routine of maintaining them is the hard work.

So in between all the other stuff we do every day to keep a household running and my other goals for the year, I want to squeeze in some dedicated time to this task. That is the only way I will get to it is if I look at my daily list and see a time alloted for it. Organizing maybe isn't fun but it is vital for a smoother life wouldn't you agree?
Remember to stop back in tomorrow as the Frugal Five share part three of the Thrifty Living Series.


Linking to:
Raising Homemakers
Transformation Thurs.
Thrifty Thurs.

Keeping It Real

Below is a text I sent to my hubby early this morning:

Up at five with cold little toes poking me in my bed
She needs to see big Sis leave
As Lola barks to get up in the bed
And then I find runny poo in the den.
My  toes are cold so I get some socks
And then off to make glorious coffee
Where I step in pee in the kitchen.
Still love my life though but can you top that?

Hubby's response:

Wow that's a life poem...
Title...
When life gives you runny poo, make coffee.

Just keeping it real folks.

Dusk

Late late afternoon, almost dinner making time and all my little lights I have on timers click on. I am just a sucker for the soft glow of little lamps and strings of lights.

A soft glow from the lights and fading light coming in from the windows. Daylights last reach indoors.

View peeking in from the front porch. I think our homes are like another member of the family. You grow to love them and they become a part of you. When we said goodbye to my parent's home of over 50 years, I just balled and felt like we lost another family member. I still miss it and the sounds and smells. The warmth and security I felt there. Ironing day, oh is there a better smell and my dad barbecuing on the weekends. It was a wonderful simple house that I hold very dear in my heart.

My husband teases the kids if they don't get the holiday lights on before dark. He threatens to put you on the list. Not sure what list as I have never seen one but he still tells us we are on the list. I guess he figures if he hangs them we should go through the trouble of turning them on.

Linking to:
Bowl Full of Lemons
Table Top Tuesday
Coastal Charm
Topsy Turvy
Rednesday
Wow Us Wed.
Handy Man Crafty Woman
TRansformation Thurs.
Home Sweet Home

No Spend January-How Did I Do?

I put on myself a "No Spend January" challenge. Other than the necessities like food and toiletries and medicine, I challenged myself to not spend any money buying things in January while I was out and about. With the exception of the tennies I ordered myself for 16.99 (regularly $65) and the two Target clearance clocks for $1.98 a piece, I didn't buy anything except the necessities.

 You know what? I did well. It was hard at the beginning of the month. After all the shopping of December, I was still in the shopping mode, but as the weeks went on, it really became something I was not going to let beat me.

Now it isn't as if we didn't need some new items but could we get by, YES. Usually I buy new towels at the beginning of the year. That is when they are the cheapest and ours are looking most like rags. 

Linens and towels - January/February and July/August (discontinued fall and spring merchandise)

I held off. I will buy them in February while they are still on sale.

Spending is like any other habit. It takes time to break. As each year of my frugal pursuits passes, I get better at it and feel less impulsive. In fact the other day when I picked up our taxes and found we were getting a refund, I texted hubby and came right home. In previous years I would have rewarded my good feelings with a stop to buy something or pick up a Starbucks. But because I had not been spending and was out of the habit, I just came home. No money spent except the gas.

I also challenged myself to no drive days. Because school had not started full force, it was easy to have lots of these and for the month I had 11 no drive days. My car never pulled out of the driveway. This is just savings in so many ways. No gas used, no miles on my car, no money spent in stores and the benefit are days where I seemed to get more done. It won't be as easy now that my two middle girls are back in school but I can still challenge myself to Saturdays at home or a day during the week when they have no school.
I'll talk more about my grocery spending challenge next time.

Linking to:
Coastal Charm
Bowl Full of Lemons
Time Warp Wife
Women Living Well
Milk and Cuddles
Stuff of Success

Valentine Hot Cocoa

Fiddle-sticks!! Either I or Blogger are messing up my posts. I had thought I was ahead of the game this week with some pre-planned scheduled posts and gosh darn if Blogger didn't post them right after another today. It may be operator error who knows. Has anyone else had Blogger posting issues lately with the pre-scheduled  option? So I am reposting this as it was supposed to post tomorrow. 

Have you seen these cuties? I bought them as a treat for us when I was in Target the other day. They are the sweetest things. We have all been munching and putting them in our drinks and on our ice cream.

Being Saturday I pulled out a pretty little cup with an unmatched saucer for my afternoon treat. Tastes even sweeter from a pretty cup.

I poured them in my old ball jar. I wanted to see them as they are so darn cute. I love hearts.

I think I see another bag in our future.

Linking to:
BNOTP
The House in the Roses
Table Top Tuesday
Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow Us Wed.
French Country Cottage
Common Ground
SNS